Australia PM Julia Gillard jokes: Mayans were right, end of the world is coming

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard barely breaks a smile in this spoof video made for a TV program that agrees with the Mayan calendar and predicts the end of the world on December 21. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

By Ian Johnston, NBC News

Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard has warned that predictions of the end of the world by ancient Mayans were correct and that the final days are coming -- in a deadpan ad for a lighthearted breakfast radio show.

"Whether the final blow comes from flesh-eating zombies, demonic hell-beasts or the total triumph of K-Pop, if you know one thing about me, it is this: I will always fight for you to the very end," Gillard said in a message to the "dear remaining fellow Australians."

The statement said the "story" started with claims by the ancient Sumerian civilization that a "supposed planet" called Nibiru was headed toward Earth.

"This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the doomsday date was moved forward to December 2012 and linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 -- hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012," NASA said.

"Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012," it added. "This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then -- just as your calendar begins again on January 1 -- another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar."